Okay, so, it feels like day 364 of self-isolation and we’re unsure when the last time we washed the sweatpants we are currently wearing.
Whether you’re working from home or working your way through Netflix from the couch, if you’re anything like us, its probably safe to say your beauty routine may have slipped a little. If you’re not leaving the house, what’s the point, right?
Some of you, like us, might be using this opportunity to let your skin breathe from daily makeup application or giving your hair a break from frequent hair washing and styling.
While refraining from doing these things can do wonders for your hair and skin, we’ve put together some additional DIY beauty tips to add to your beauty routine with stuff you can find in your home to help make you feel fresh in no time!
1. Your Skin Looks Great, Honey
If you look up homemade face masks, there are no shortage of concoctions to slather on your face. However, some have a lot of ingredients that you might not have readily available in quarantine or require a lot of work.
While yes, we may not have much to do right now, no, we don’t want to spend hours concocting a potion to ward off evil spirits from our face.
For this reason, our favourite at-home face mask is using honey! Raw honey is great for acne-prone skin since it’s naturally antibacterial. It cleanses your pores while retaining moisture.
It’s also full of antioxidants, so raw honey is hailed as a great anti-ageing solution. Simply rub the honey on your face, let it sit for 10 minutes, then rinse with warm water.
Some people claim that since honey draws toxins to the surface, your skin looks worse before it gets better. Despite this, it’s a great solution to help your skin out in the long run. Plus, might as well tackle it now while we are social distancing!
2. Mayo-My Hair Mask
Shampoo tends to be a bit harsh on your hair, since it’s stripping out the natural oils and moisture. If you consider the addition of heat tools like a hairdryer or flat iron, you could be racking up the damage to your hair leaving it dry and lifeless.
While giving your hair a break from your daily hairstyling routine, you should also consider giving it some extra love with a hair mask.
Our go-to hair mask is easy and you most likely already have the ingredients already sitting in your fridge. Mix one egg with about 1/4 cup of mayonnaise into a cream and apply it all over your hair. If your hair tends to be more on the greasy side, we recommend applying the mask midway down your hair and all the way to your ends.
Let the mask sit for 10-15 minutes, then rinse out with cool water.
Pro tip: We cannot emphasize the use of cool water here enough. Hot water will cook the egg in your hair, making it incredibly difficult to get out of your hair… speaking from experience!
3. Pass the “Tissue Test” with DIY Teeth Whitening
Have you run out of your teeth whitening strips? Or maybe you’ve seen too many of the Crest commercials on TLC where she takes the “tissue test” and have become so bored you’ve broken down and actually done it yourself? Because, same.
Instead of spending hundreds on whitening products to be delivered to your doorstep, stay home and just grab baking soda.
Baking soda acts as a very mild abrasive that is gentle enough to remove surface stains from your teeth. While this won’t whiten your teeth overnight, brushing your teeth with baking soda 1-2 times a week will definitely show off your pearly whites safely and naturally over time.
Mix one teaspoon of baking soda with two teaspoons of water to create a paste. Brush your teeth with it, moving in circular motions and ensuring you hit every crevice of your teeth. Let the paste sit for about two minutes, then rinse clean.
4. Leg Conditioning
Now that we’ve basically covered your entire body with at-home beauty tricks, we might as well shave our legs, right?
If you’re out of shaving cream or just want to make your legs extra soft, try using hair conditioner to shave with. This will add an extra hit of moisture to your legs and help prevent any razor burn or bumps.
Pro tip: If your legs tend to be prone to getting bumps after you shave, save shaving for the last part of your shower. The heat from the water will open up and soften your pores so the abrasion of your razor won’t be as harsh on your skin.
5. Don’t Hate, Exfoliate
Okay so maybe you haven’t showered in days, maybe a week, but who’s counting? Whenever you decide to take rinse, try making this homemade sugar scrub to exfoliate dead skin off your body.
Simply combine half a cup of granulated sugar into half a cup (or equal parts) of melted coconut oil, and mix until fully incorporated. Add a couple of drops of food colouring if you’re feeling fancy, and 10-15 drops of essential oils if you’re feeling really fancy. Pour the mixture into your container of choice and let it set at room temperature, or put it into the fridge for it to solidify more quickly.
Pro tip: Use this recipe as a lip scrub to help with chapped lips or just to make your lips extra smooth!
6. Mani of the House
Close your eyes and imagine you’re at a spa. Think of all of the steps they take before applying your coat of nail or toe polish. Now treat yourself to the same!
Step 1: Clean your nails with polish remover. Let your nails soak in warm water for three to five minutes, then remove and dry off.
Step 2: Clip your nails, file to the desired shape, and use a nail buffer to gently buff the tops to create a smooth surface for the polish to stick to.
Step 3: Push back your cuticles gently with a cuticle stick.
Step 4: Exfoliate your hands (psst, use the sugar scrub recipe from above!) and wash them with soap and water afterwards.
Step 5: Moisturize with your favourite moisturizer and take the opportunity to give yourself a mini hand massage to get the blood flowing and even promote nail growth. Who says you need to be at a spa to relax?
Step 6: Apply a base coat to help moisturize your nails and prevent chipping. Let it set for about two minutes.
Step 7: Now for the fun part! Apply your first coat of colour, ensuring you get right down to your cuticles as much as possible. Experts recommend doing three “stripes:” one down the middle, one on the right and then one on the left to complete the nail.
By doing a very thorough first coat with the most coverage possible, you’re setting yourself up for success for the second coat. Let the first coat dry for two to three minutes.
Step 8: After your first coat is good and dry, apply your second coat. Some sheer or glittery nail polishes may require a third coat, but be sure to keep the coats thin and apply only what you need. Again, let each coat dry for two to three minutes.
Step 9: Apply your top coat to seal the deal once your second/third coat is completely dry to ensure all of your handiwork lasts for as long as possible.
Step 10: Clean up any areas where you might have gone a little too overboard and got some nail polish on the side of your finger using a q-tip and some nail polish remover. Then, let your nails dry an additional 5-10 minutes and enjoy!
After adding any or all of these great at-home beauty regimens to your self-care routine you’re going to feel like a whole a new woman!
Of course, if you’re looking to fully revamp your look, or just want to be pampered when all of this is over, be sure to keep an eye on our social media channels to see when you can book your next appointment with Urban Vanity!
